Friday, December 31, 2010

I finished reading Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction masterpiece, “Rendezvous with Rama,” just the other day, and I’m now glad that I can officially say that I’ve read this classic Sci-Fi novel.

First published in 1972 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, this book is set in the 22nd Century, a time in which the human race has colonized many of the planets and satellites in our solar system. Suddenly, with very little warning, a 50-kilometer-long cylindrical spaceship enters the solar system on a path around our sun. The human race only has time to mobilize one small ship, a solar survey ship that just happened to be in the right place at the right time for a mission to make contact with the alien craft.

The crew of the small ship, Endeavour, make their way inside the spaceship, which the humans name “Rama,” and begin their attempt to unravel what they discover inside. What they find leaves the human race with more questions than answers about the mysterious craft’s origin.

Soon after its publication, “Rendezvous with Rama” went on to rake in a number of prestigious awards, including the 1973 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 1973 British Science Fiction Association Award, the 1974 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 1974 Jupiter Award for Best Novel, the 1974 John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the 1974 Locus Award for Best Novel.

Despite its popularity, a motion picture version of “Rendezvous with Rama” has never been made for the big screen. Hollywood big wheels Morgan Freeman and David Fincher were behind one push to have the movie made, but after Freeman was injured in a car accident in 2008 the project unraveled.

I’ve been wanting to read “Rendezvous with Rama” for years and was lucky enough to find a 1973 paperback edition of the book during a recent trip to the Treasures on the Corner store in Evergreen. Among their fine selection of books there, I got my hands on this jewel of a book.

In the end, how many of you have had a chance to read “Rendezvous with Rama”? What did you think about it? What did you like about it? What did you dislike? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

I’ve been a member of the Science Fiction Book Club for several years, and I always look forward to receiving their updated catalog packet in the mail about once a month.

This month’s catalog contained the SFBC’s “Best Books of the Year” selections, and I’m passing along this great best-of list today for your reading pleasure.

“Changes” by Jim Butcher, the eleventh book in the Dresden Files series, was selected as the SFBC Book of the Year.

“Under Heaven” by Guy Gavriel Kay was selected as the Editor’s Pick Book of the Year, which was chosen by SFBC senior editor Rome Quezada.

The SFBC’s selection for “Best Science Fiction” Book of the Year went to “Godlike Machines,” an SFBC original anthology that was edited by Jonathan Strahan and published by the SFBC.

The SFBC also release its annual list of top selling books and the SFBC’s “Bestsellers of 2010” included the following books:

- Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey- How to Live in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu- Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough- Blackout by Connie Willis- A Might Fortress by David Weber- Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt- Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn- Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris- The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman- Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs- The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson- Kraken by China Mieville- Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison- Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey

The “cream” of the SFBC’s “Altiverse” selections included the following five graphic novels:

- The Simpsons-Futurama Crossover Crisis by Matt Groening- Wolverine by Marvel Comics- Batman: RIP by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel- The Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead by Stephen King- Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis

In the end, how many of you have had a chance to read any of these books? Which did you like and why? Which did you dislike? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you’re interested in reading more about these books and finding out more about the SFBC, visit their Web site at www.sfbc.com.

“Kim Searcy hits 39 for record, Lady Warriors: Kim Searcy scored 39 points to lead the Sparta Lady Warriors to a 52-40 win over Fort Dale-SBA and set a new standard for most points in a game for the girls players at the local private school. The game was one of four played Dec. 18 in the Sparta Gymnasium.“Backing up Searcy’s performance was Shawn Hammonds with 11 points. Julie Johnson and Stacy Holmes had one each.“Fort Dale-SBA outscored the Warrior varsity, 75-62. Sparta had well balanced scoring but not enough of it with Brad Watts hitting 14 points; Chris Davis, 13; and Lee Wild, 11. Toby Baggett hit for nine points; Kenny Bledsoe, six; and Jeff Carrier, Robbie Bolton and Craig Blackburn, three each.”

“Willie Crutchfield, field representative of the Woodmen of the World, presented a U.S. flag and compasses to the Boy Scouts of Troop 40 in recognition of their winning ‘top troop’ at the District Fall Camporee. Assistant Scoutmaster Joe McNeel and Scoutmaster Pat Poole thanked Crutchfield and the WOW.”

38 YEARS AGODEC. 28, 1972

“Texas Cowgirls play men’s team here Jan. 10: The World Famous Texas Cowgirls Basketball Team will appear at the high school gym in Evergreen on Jan. 10 at 8 p.m.“This appearance will be sponsored by the high school.“The Texas Cowgirls will be commencing their 23rd season of play and have played over 4,000 engagements coast to coast and abroad.“The Texas Cowgirls will play against a men’s team with men’s rules. An entertaining program has been planned. Advance tickets may be obtained from members of the organization for adults, $1.50; and students, $1.”

From “The Colyum” by Bob Bozeman: Better get your eyes in shape again, if they have recovered from last weekend. The bowl season is upon us and eyestrain threatens us football nuts.“Of course, to fans around here the strong attractions are the Gator Bowl on Saturday afternoon and the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day.“Auburn’s unbelievable Tigers will do battle against Colorado in the Gator. Coach Shug Jordan’s club lost its starting quarterback as practice started for the bowl game.”

53 YEARS AGODEC. 26, 1957

“Letters were awarded to 20 members of the 1957 Evergreen High Aggies at the Evergreen Quarterback Club’s annual football banquet Friday night at the school lunchroom.“Receiving letters were, seniors, Capt. Buddy Zukowski, Howard Claybrook, Robert Daniels, Bobby English, Billy Grace, Mabry Huggins, Jerry Mitchell, Jimmy Moorer, James Nelson and Haywood Williamson; juniors, Jimmy Bell, George Bolton, Robbie Boykin, Robert Ellington, Paul Pace, Wayne Peacock, Ken Tucker and Byron Warren; sophomore Jimmy Eddins and freshman Elvin Higgins.“Letters were also presented to six cheerleaders: seniors, Erin Cook and Eddie Bell Kindig; juniors Molly Thames and Jean Brooks; sophomores Jimmie Brundage and Jean Black.“Howard Claybrook, senior tackle, received the coveted D.T. Stuart Sportsmanship Trophy.“Coach Wendell Hart announced that the team had elected Paul Pace to serve as captain of the 1958 eleven. George Bolton will serve as alternate captain. Pace was a standout at center while Bolton was a mainstay at guard.”

68 YEARS AGODEC. 31, 1942

“Aggies to engage Pleasant Home here tonight: Coach E.L. McInnis’s green and white clad cagers will engage probably their toughest foe of the year today at 7:30 when they play the Pleasant Home basketeers on the local court.“The Pleasant Home cagesters have long have been known in this section for their hardwood antics. Among the state’s better teams for the past several years, they wound up in sixth place last year.“The locals are the proud possessors of a four-game winning streak and as yet haven’t met their master. They have defeated Castleberry twice, Repton and Lyeffion once each. In these contests, they have scored 171 points to their opponents’ 52. Johnson has led the locals high-powered offense with 87 points scored. Thames holds runner-up honors with 48.“With transportation a big problem, this may be one of the last home games of the season. Both teams will be after the other’s skins and a close and thrilling scoring battle is forecast. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. Admission, schoolchildren, 15 cents; others, 25 cents.”

83 YEARS AGODEC. 29, 1927

“Local All Stars Defeat Monroeville: A football ball team composed of Evergreen all stars met and defeated an all star team from Monroeville Tuesday afternoon at Gantt’s Field to the score of 3 to 0.“The game was staged under the auspices of the American Legion and was well-attended by fans from both towns.“The only counter of the game came early when Watson Spence, former Aggie star but now of Auburn, booted the oval over for a field goal. After this, neither team was able to score. As evidenced by the score, the teams were well matched and no ground was gained except by fierce struggling.”

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “The Way Back,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Resident Evil: Afterlife.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A few days ago, I finally got a chance to watch a movie I’ve been wanting to see for some time, “Centurion,” which was release in theatres on Aug. 27.

This movie was much better than I expected, and if you liked “Braveheart” and “Gladiator,” then you will enjoy “Centurion.”

The movie is set in the year 117 A.D. in what is today Scotland and centers on a Roman soldier named Quintus Dias. Dias becomes the lone survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman fort, and he eventually ends up as a member of the legendary Ninth Roman Legion. Dias and the legion, which in real life disappeared around 117 A.D., head in to Pictish territory on a mission to wipe out the Picts and kill their leader, Gorlacon. Unfortunately for most of the Romans, things don’t turn out as they’ve planned.

Despite the historical and entertainment value of this movie, it lost money. Shot on a budget of $12 million, it posted gross revenues of only $6.2 million.

I thought this movie was pretty good for a number of reasons. Being a member of the Peacock family, I can trace my family history back to the Scottish Maxwell clan, and in all likelihood, I’ve got Pictish (and probably Roman) blood running through my veins. You rarely see movies depicting the Picts, and I thought it was cool to see them portrayed in a movie, even if they were made out to be the bad guys. In real life they were probably just doing what they needed to do to survive against what they perceived to be an invading force of foreigners.

This movie was also in no way short on action. If you’re looking for a movie with plenty of swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, then you will enjoy this movie. Again, if you liked “Braveheart” and “Gladiator,” you will enjoy “Centurion.”

How many of you have had a chance to see this movie? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Dislike it? Let us know in the comments section below.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Last night, I finished reading “The National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Guide” by Mark Harvey, and the book was even better than I expected.

The “Wilderness Guide” is probably the best-known book in a series of books published by the National Outdoor Leadership School, aka, “The Harvard of the wilderness schools” and “the leader in wilderness education.”

For those of you unfamiliar with NOLS, it is a world famous school that conducts classes in a number of outdoor programs at eight locations throughout the world. Its headquarters is in Lander, Wyoming. Notable alumni of the school include CNN anchor Anderson Cooper; Sebastian Junger, the author of “The Perfect Storm;” the late John F. Kennedy Jr. and most U.S. astronauts.

Published by Simon & Schuster in 1999, the “Wilderness Guide” is a detailed handbook for backpackers and draws on the years of expertise and experience of NOLS instructors to provide readers with expert guidelines for a number of outdoor activities. This book also won the prestigious National Outdoor Book Award in 2000.

This book also included an outstanding list of books for further reading. Books on that list included:- “Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook” by June Fleming- “The Complete Walker” by Colin Fletcher- “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills” by Don Graydon- “Soft Paths” by Bruce Hampton and David Cole- “The Best Nature Writing of Joseph Wood Krutch” by Joseph Wood Krutch- “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold- “The NOLS Cookery” by Claudia Pearson- “The New Wilderness Handbook” by Paul Petzoldt- “NOLS Wilderness Mountaineering” by Phil Powers- “The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors” by David Seidman- “NOLS Wilderness First Aid” by Tod Shimelpfenig and Linda Lindsey- “Marking the Sparrow’s Fall: Wallace Stegner’s American West” by Wallace Stegner- “Medicine for Mountaineering” by James A. Wilkerson

As I mentioned earlier, the NOLS “Wilderness Guide” is one in a series of outdoor guides published by the school for use in their courses. Here are a list of the other titles in the series – “Backcountry Cooking,” “Backcountry Nutrition,” “Bear Essentials,” “Cookery,” “Soft Paths,” “Wilderness Ethics,” “Wilderness Medicine,” "Wilderness Mountaineering,” “Wilderness Navigation,” “Wilderness Wisdom” and “Winter Camping.”

In the end, I really enjoyed reading the “Wilderness Guide,” and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

Have any of you had the chance to read the “Wilderness Guide” or another of the other NOLS books? If so, what did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about the National Outdoor Leadership School and to request a free NOLS course catalog, visit NOLS’s Web site at www.nols.edu.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

“Michael Hanks killed this nice eight-point buck last Saturday morning. The unusual thing about this deer is its color. It is an albino (white) deer. The buck weighed in at 150 pounds. There have been a few of these white deer reported being killed this season.”

“Local Alfa agent Mark Robbins took a break from work last week to do a ‘little’ deer hunting. He killed this 241-pound, eight-point buck in the northern part of the county. Mark said he was stalk hunting when the big buck jumped. This is one of the larger deer to be killed in the county this season. Rumor has it that it possibly came out of Steve Dunn’s and Johnny Cook’s feed lot since it definitely resembled a small calf.”

45 YEARS AGODEC. 23, 1965

“Mr. and Mrs. Wilburn Nall spent Saturday with the Luther Uptons at Little River and attended the deer hunt and barbecue.”

“Tickets on sale to QB Banquet; Tide coach speaks: Tickets to the Evergreen Quarterback Club’s annual football banquet honoring the 1965 Evergreen Aggies are now on sale. Tickets are $2 each and may be purchased at the following places: Ivey Chevrolet Co., Northcutt’s, Western Auto Store and The Evergreen Courant.

“Featured speaker at the banquet will be Coach Richard Williamson of Coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant’s staff at the University of Alabama. Williamson is from Fort Deposit and will be remembered as an All Southeastern Conference end on the 1961 national championship Tide team.

“The banquet will be held Friday night, Jan. 7, in the EHS lunchroom.”

60 YEARS AGODEC. 28, 1950

“Blue and Gray Bowl Game Slated Dec. 30th: Montgomery, Alabama’s own bowl game of football rivalry, the classic Blue and Gray will be played in Montgomery’s Crampton Bowl, Dec. 30.

“Unlike other bowl games, the Blue and Gray will be made up of the finest players from many schools throughout the North and South.

“A capacity crowd of 22,000 is expected for the tilt.

“One of the pleasing features about the game is that it is played on the last Saturday in December, instead of on New Year’s Day, thus giving football fans an opportunity to see other bowl games on that day.

“The Blue and Gray idea was fathered by Col. Champ Pickins. It has in the past received widespread publicity in the papers throughout the nation.

“Gov.-Elect Gordon Persons has invited all members of the newly elected Alabama legislature to be his guests at the bowl game.

“A delegation of several hundred is coming from Pennsylvania and will be accompanied by high ranking state officials, including the lieutenant governor.”

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got one new book at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson replaced “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown as the top book on the mass market paperback best-seller list.

“Dead or Alive” by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood retained the top spot on the hardcover fiction list.

“Decision Points” by George W. Bush kept the No. 1 spot on the hardcover nonfiction list.

“Inside of a Dog” by Alexandra Horwitz retained the top spot on the tradepaperbacks best-seller list.

There were no books on this week’s hardcover fiction bestseller list that weren’t on that list last week. It was the same 15 books, just in a different order, mostly. That’s the first time that this has happened in the months that I’ve been reviewing Publishers Weekly’s lists.

There are two books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction bestseller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their position on the list) are "The 4-Hour Body" by Timothy Ferriss (12) and "The Last Boy" by Jane Leavy (14).

There are four books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books are "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck (11), "61 Hours" by Lee Child (12), "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Crichton (13) and "Southern Lights" by Danielle Steel (15).

There are three books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books are "Rachael Ray's Look + Cook" by Rachael Ray (10), "Just Kids" by Patti Smith (11) and "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (14).Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Dead or Alive" by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood2. "The Confession" by John Grisham3. "Cross Fire" by James Patterson4. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson5. "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King6. "Port Mortuary" by Patricia Cornwell7. "Freedom: A Novel" by Jonathan Franzen8. "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett9. "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" by David Sedaris10. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks11. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett12. "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin13. "Hell's Corner" by David Baldacci14. "Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson15. "Crescent Dawn" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "Decision Points" by George W. Bush2. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand3. "Life" by Keith Richards4. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race" by Jon Stewart5. "Autobiography of Mark Twain" by Ed. by Harriet Elinor Smith6. "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" by Ina Garten7. "Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff8. "Decoded" by Jay-Z9. "Broke" by Glenn Beck10. "Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man" by Steve Harvey11. "America by Heart" by Sarah Palin12. "The 4-Hour Body" by Timothy Ferriss13. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern14. "The Last Boy" by Jane Leavy15. "I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections" by Nora Ephron

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson3. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown4. "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton5. "Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo6. "Breathless" by Dean Koontz7. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson8. "Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel" by Stuart Woods9. "Rainwater" by Sandra Brown10. "O'Hurley's Return" by Nora Roberts11. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck12. "61 Hours" by Lee Child13. "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Crichton14. "The Other Side" by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney and Ruth Ryan Langan15. "Southern Lights" by Danielle Steel

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horwitz2. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson3. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert4. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein5. "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult6. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson7. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese8. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave9. "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead" by Max Brooks10. "Rachael Ray's Look + Cook" by Rachael Ray11. "Just Kids" by Patti Smith12. "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls13. "Happy Ever After" by Nora Roberts14. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen15. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

A few days ago, I got the chance to sample for the first time a bottle of Red Stripe, an imported Jamaican lager, that was quite tasty.

According to its distinctive, sawn-off brown bottle, Red Stripe is brewed and bottled by Desnoes and Geddes Limited in Kingston, Jamaica. It’s imported to The States by Diageo-Guinness USA in Norwalk, Conn.

The bottle goes on to say that “For over 75 years, Red Stripe has embodied the spirit, rhythm and pulse of Jamaica and its people.”

Many of you will be familiar with this beer, which was first imported to the U.S. in 1985, because of its television ad campaign and its official slogan, “Hooray, beer!” Some of you may also be familiar with Red Stripe through its sponsorship of the Jamaican national bobsled team and the sports TV show, Pardon the Interruption.

In the end, I enjoyed sampling this beer for the first time, and would recommend it to anyone in the mood for something new and different. For more information about Red Stripe lager, visit www.redstripebeer.com.

Incidentally, USA Today also named the late Stieg Larsson as Author of the Year. For more information about Larsson and the books mentioned above, visit USA Today’s book coverage page at www.usatoday.com/life/books.

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had a chance to read? What did you like about them? What did you dislike about them? Let us know in the comments section below.

For those of you unfamiliar with Fearnet.com, it is an online movie site that claims to be the “world’s premiere destination for horror, thriller and suspense.” It’s the web’s No. 1 site for genre movies and was named among PC Magazine’s “15 Best Web Sites for Movie Fans.” Check it out when you get a chance.

Without further ado, here are the works that made each of the aforementioned lists.

Best of 2010 – Books1. “Classics Mutilated: 13 Original Stories,” edited by Jeff Conner2. “Shirley Jackson: Novels and Stories” (Library of America edition)3. “The Art of Hammer: Posters from the Archive of Hammer Films,” edited by Marcus Hearn4. “Kill the Dead: A Sandman Slim Novel” by Richard Kadrey5. “Full Dark, No Stars” by Stephen King

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “True Grit,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Devil.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Bookreporter.com announced its Book of the Year, Series of the Decade and Favorite Books of 2010 earlier this week and today I give you a list of the books that were named in each of those categories.

First, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Bookreporter.com, it’s a Web site that is part of what’s called the Book Report Network, a group of internet sites that aim to provide “thoughtful book reviews, compelling features, in-depth author profiles and interviews, excerpts of the hottest new releases, literary games and contests, and more every week.” It claims to be the “best place online to talk about your last great read --- and find your next one.”

This year, Bookreporter.com selected Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” as its Book of the Year.

Its Series of the Decade was Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, which includes “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”

Bookreporter.com’s Favorite Books of 2010 is divided into two categories, that is, picks by the Web site’s staff and picks by a group of reviewers.

Here are the 63 books picked by 14 Bookreporter staff members:

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins2. The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar3. The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin4. The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime by Jason Turbow with Michael Duca5. The Bird of the River by Kage Baker6. Brontorina by James Howe7. The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman8. A Cast-Off Coven: A Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell9. Changes: Dresden Files, Book 12 by Jim Butcher10. Chelsea, Chelsea Bang, Bang by Chelsea Handler

11. The Columbo Collection by William Link12. Composed: A Memoir by Rosanne Cash13. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin14. Decision Points by George W. Bush15. Dewey’s Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter16. The Double Human by James O’Neal17. Faithful Place by Tana French18. Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett19. The Fighter’s Mind: Inside the Mental Game by Sam Sheridan20. France/Norway: France’s Last Liner/Norway’s First Mega Cruise Ship by John Maxtone-Graham

21. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen22. Girl Parts by John M. Cusick23. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson24. The Glass Rainbow: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke25. Gone ‘Til November by Wallace Stroby26. Great House by Nicole Krauss27. Her Daughter’s Dream by Francine Rivers28. Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers29. Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family and a Whole Town about Hope and Happy Endings by Janet Elder30. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

31. Innocent by Scott Turow32. Iron River: A Charlie Hood Novel by T. Jefferson Parker33. Just Kids by Patti Smith34. Legacies: Shadow Grail No. 1 by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill35. Life by Keith Richards36. The Little Death by P.J. Parrish37. Love to Tell: A Detective D.D. Warren Novel by Lisa Gardner38. The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason39. Maid Sama! Vol. 5 by Hiro Fujiwara40. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes

41. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins42. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane43. Moon Sworn: Riley Jenson, Guardian, Book 9 by Keri Arthur44. More Stories from The Twilight Zone, edited by Carol Sterling45. The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers46. The Naked Lady Who Stood on her Head: A Psychiatrist’s Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases by Gary Small, M.D. and Gigi Vorgan47. Noise by Darin Bradley48. Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd49. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White50. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

51. Rich Boy by Sharon Pomerantz52. The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn53. Snowbound by Blake Crouch54. Split by Swati Avasthi55. Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski56. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart57. Trio of Sorcery by Mercedes Lackey58. Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi59. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand60. War by Sebastian Junger

61. The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy by Bill Carter62. Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory by B.J. Penn with David Weintraub63. With a Vengeance by Marcus Wynne

Here are the 104 books picked by 14 Bookreporter book reviewers:

1. Against All Things Ending: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 3 by Stephen R. Donaldson2. The Anniversary Man by R.J. Ellroy3. Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman4. As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto by Joan Reardon5. The Athena Project by Brad Thor6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver7. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans8. The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale9. Bone Fire by Mark Spragg10. The Brave by Nicholas Evans

11. By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan12. The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman13. Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star that Gives Us Life by Richard Cohen14. The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford15. The Cookbook Between Us by Charles Martin16. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin17. Daniel by Henning Mankell18. Deeply, Desperately: A Lucy Valentine Novel by Heather Webber19. The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett20. Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

21. Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers by Adriana Trigiani22. Doors Open by Ian Rankin23. The Double Human by James O’Neal24. Dust by Joan Frances Turner25. Eggsecutive Orders: A White House Chef Mystery by Julie Hyzy26. Essays from the Nick of Time: Reflections and Refutations by Mark Slouka27. Faithful Place by Tana French28. The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan29. Farm Fresh Murder: A Farmer’s Market Mystery by Paige Shelton30. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

41. The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women by James Ellroy42. House Rules by Jodi Picoult43. Hunt Beyond the Frozen Fire by Gabriel Hunt as told to Christa Faust44. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot45. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman46. The Infinities by John Banville47. Innocent by Scott Turow48. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer49. Iron River: A Charlie Hood Novel by T. Jefferson Parker50. Just Kids by Patti Smith

51. King’s Wrath: Book 3 of the Valisar Trilogy by Fiona McIntosh52. Kraken by China Mieville53. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick54. The Little Death by P.J. Parrish55. The Lost Hero: The Heroes of Olympus, Book One by Rick Riordan56. The Love Song of A. Jerome Minkoff: And Other Stories by Joseph Epstein57. Making Toast: A Family Story by Roger Rosenblatt58. Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel by Armistad Maupin59. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes60. Memory by Donald E. Westlake

61. Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony Doerr62. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella63. Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon64. Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia65. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane66. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin67. Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross68. Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler69. Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark70. Of Love and Evil: The Songs of the Seraphim, Book Two by Anne Rice

81. Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog by Susannah Charleson82. The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn83. The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark84. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich85. Snowbound by Blake Crouch86. The Spy: An Isaac Bell Adventure by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott87. Still Midnight by Denise Mina88. Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel89. A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch90. Stress Fracture by D.P. Lyle

91. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart92. The Taken: A Hazel Micallef Mystery by Inger Ash Wolfe93. To the End of the Land by David Grossman94. Towers of Midnight: Book 13 of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson95. Truly, Madly: A Lucy Valentine Novel by Heather Webber96. Tutankhamun: The Book of Shadows by Nick Drake97. Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay98. Voyeur by Daniel Judson99. War by Sebastian Junger100. The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

101. The Way of Kings: Book One of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson102. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman103. With a Vengeance by Marcus Wynne104. You Better Knot Die: A Crochet Mystery by Betty Hechtman

In the end, if you’re interested in reading more about these books and others, visit www.bookreporter.com.

Monday, December 20, 2010

I finally got the chance the other day to watch the newly released movie, “Predators,” and I thought it was an awesome, very slick Sci-Fi movie.

Released in July and directed by Nimrod Antal, this science fiction movie starred Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali and Louis Ozawa Changchien. The movie was written by Michael Finch and Alex Litvak and is based on characters created by brothers, Jim and John Thomas.

This movie is the fifth to be released in the Predators franchise and takes place on an off-world alien "game preserve." The movie begins when a group of humans is dropped onto another planet and eventually figure out that they are being hunted by an alien race bent on developing their fighting skills against the universe’s toughest warriors. The aliens are also big into trophy hunting.

I thought this movie was cool because of the all-star group of tough guys they assembled to fight the Predators. The group included a former American special forces soldier turned mercenary, an Israel Defense Force sniper, a psychopathic doctor, a Russian Spetsnaz Alpha Group commando, a death row inmate from California’s San Quentin Prison, a Japanese mafia enforcer, a Sierra Leone Revolutionary United Front death squad solider and a Mexican drug cartel enforcer.

One member of the group is killed when he’s dropped in and his parachute fails to open. He’s seen wearing a pixel-gray Army combat uniform, indicating that he was most likely an American Army solider.

It was very cool to see how each of these characters brought a different set of skills to the table, and how their skills helped some of them survive while others fell at the hands of the Predators. (About half way through the movie you realize that the title of the movie, “Predators,” could just as easily apply to the humans in the film as it does to the four alien hunters in the movie.)

This movie made a very decent financial showing in theatres, both in the U.S. and abroad. It posted gross revenues of $126.8 million against a shooting budget of $40 million.

In the end, I enjoyed this movie. It was full of good, old-fashioned Sci-Fi action, and the story moved along at an attention-keeping clip.

For those of you interested in watching the other Predator movies, they include “Predator” (1987), “Predator 2” (1990), “Alien vs. Predator” (2004) and “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” (2007). Also, if you liked “Predators,” you might also be excited to hear that there is talk of a sequel. Keep you fingers crossed.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got two new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

“Dead or Alive” by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood replaced “Port Mortuary” by Patricia Cornwell as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-seller list.

“Inside of a Dog” by Alexandra Horwitz replaced “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson as the top book on the trade paperbacks best-seller list.

“Decision Points” by George W. Bush retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction best-seller list, and “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown kept the No. 1 spot on the mass market paperback best-seller list.

There are two books on this week’s hardcover fiction bestseller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include “Dead or Alive” by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood (1) and “Freedom: A Novel” by Jonathan Franzen (7).

There are two books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction bestseller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep and Understand a Man” by Steve Harvey (6) and “Suck on This Year: LYFAO at 140 Characters of Less” by Denis Leary (15).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books are “Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel” by Stuart Woods (9) and “No Place to Run” by Maya Banks (15).

There are four books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books are “A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations: Two Novels” by Charles Dickens (10), “The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead” by Max Brooks (13), “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards and “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho (15).

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Dead or Alive" by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood2. "The Confession" by John Grisham3. "Cross Fire" by James Patterson4. "Port Mortuary" by Patricia Cornwell5. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson6. "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King7. "Freedom: A Novel" by Jonathan Franzen8. "Hell's Corner" by David Baldacci9. "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett10. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett11. "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" by David Sedaris12. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks13. "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin14. "Crescent Dawn" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler15. "Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "Decision Points" by George W. Bush2. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand3. "Life" by Keith Richards4. "Autobiography of Mark Twain" by Ed. by Harriet Elinor Smith5. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race" by Jon Stewart6. "Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man" by Steve Harvey7. "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" by Ina Garten8. "Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff9. "Broke" by Glenn Beck10. "America by Heart" by Sarah Palin11. "Decoded" by Jay-Z12. "I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections" by Nora Ephron13. "Kardashian Konfidential" by Kourtney, Kim, Khloe Kardashian14. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern15. "Suck on This Year: LYFAO at 140 Characters or Less" by Denis Leary

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown2. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson3. "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton4. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson5. "Breathless" by Dean Koontz6. "Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo7. "Hungry For You: An Argeneau Novel" by Lynsay Sands8. "The Other Side" by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney and Ruth Ryan Langan9. "Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel" by Stuart Woods10. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson11. "Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood" by J.R. Ward12. "The Sooner the Better" by Debbie Macomber13. "O'Hurley's Return" by Nora Roberts14. "Rainwater" by Sandra Brown15. "No Place to Run" by Maya Banks

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horwitz2. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson3. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert4. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson5. "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult6. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese7. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein8. "Happy Ever After" by Nora Roberts9. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave10. "A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations: Two Novels" by Charles Dickens11. "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls12. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay13. "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead" by Max Brooks14. "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities" by Elizabeth Edwards15. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Day before yesterday, I got the chance to sample, for the first time, a bottle of Lowenbrau Original, an imported beer from Munich, Germany.

According to the bottle’s front lable, this beer is “Born in Germany, loved by the world. Brewed according to the famous German purity law, Reinheitsgebot.”

The back of the bottle goes on to say that “Lowenbrau is brewed exclusively from the natural ingredients of malted barley, hops and Alpine water in strict accordance with the German purity law, ‘Reinheitsgebot.’”

The word “Lowenbrau” literally means “Lion's Brew,” and the Lowenbrau Brewery dates back to 1383 when the brewery was run by the proprieter of “The Lion’s Inn.” According to Wikipedia, Lowenbrau has been served at every Oktoberfest since 1810 and is one of only six breweries permitted to serve beer at this famous festival.

Lowenbrau Original contains 5.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), and there are 165 calories in each 11.2-ounce bottle of Lowenbrau. Other beers brewed at the Lowenbrau brewery include Pilsener, Dunkel, Triumphator, Lowen Weisse, Urtyp and Lowenbrau Oktoberfestbier.

Lowenbrau Original peaked in popularity in the U.S. during the 1980s and many of you will remember it for its famous jingle – “Here’s to good friends, tonight is something special.”

For more information about this tasty, traditional favorite, visit Lowenbrau’s Web site at www.loewenbraeu.de. Be forewarned, the site is in German.

In the end, how many of you have had a chance to sample Lowenbrau before? What did you think about it? What did you like or dislike about it? Let us know in the comments section below.

Friday, December 17, 2010

A few days ago, I made a little more progress in my quest to watch, in order, all of the movies that have won an Academy Award for Best Picture when I watched, for the first time, the 2004 winner, “Million Dollar Baby.”

For those of you who haven’t seen “Million Dollar Baby,” it’s a sports movie about a waitress from Missouri who talks a Los Angeles boxing gym owner into training her to become a professional female boxer.

Hollywood heavyweight Clint Eastwood had a heavy hand in the making of this movie. He not only starred in the movie, but he also directed it, produced it – and provided the musical score for the film.

Eastwood played the role of boxing gym owner and trainer, Frankie Dunn. Hilary Swank played the waitress/female boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, and Morgan Freeman played gym employee and former boxer, Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupree. Freeman also narrated portions of the movie.

Released in December 2004, this movie was a financial success. It raked in gross revenues of $216.8 million against a shooting budget of $30 million. Oddly enough, gross revenues in the U.S. were $100.5 million, while international gross revenues topped $116.3 million.

The movie was based on a series of short stories written by F.X. Toole, whose real name was Jerry Boyd. Boyd, a former boxing manager and cutman, died in 2002. His short stories were published in a collection called “Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner.” Director and screenwriter Paul Haggis adapted Toole’s stories for the “Million Dollar Baby” screenplay.

“Million Dollar Baby” beat out a number of very good movies to take the Oscar for Best Picture in 2004. Other nominees included “The Aviator,” “Finding Neverland,” “Ray” and “Sideways.”

In all, “Million Dollar Baby” won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It also won Oscars for Best Director (Eastwood), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Swank) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Freeman.)

“Million Dollar Baby” was also nominated for three other Academy Awards – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Eastwood), Best Achievement in Editing (Joel Cox) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Haggis).

In the end, I really enjoyed this movie. I’d never watched it prior to the other day, and was more than a little pleased by the overall quality of this film. From here, it’s on to the 2003 winner, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Based on the book by fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkein, this movie starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Best-selling author Stephen King writes a column each week for Entertainment Weekly magazine, and in the latest issue, King gives us his list of “The Best Books I Read This Year.”

This list is a little different than your typical “best-of-the-year” list in that King’s list includes a six books that weren’t published in 2010 and one book that won’t come out until early 2011.

Here are the books that King put on his list:

1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: Published in February 1996, this 1,079-page book was named among Time Magazine’s 100 best English-language novels in 1923.

2. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen: Published in August, this 576-page book was Oprah’s first book club selection of 2010.

3. I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman: Published in August, this 384-page book is the18th novel by the Edgar-winning Lippman.

4. Savages by Don Winslow: Published in July, this 320-page book is the 14th novel by Winslow, who is best known for his 2005 novel, “The Power of the Dog.”

5. Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving: Published in October 2009, this 576-page book is the 16th book by Irving, who is best known for “The Cider House Rules.”

6. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes: Originally published in 2009 and reissued in March 2010, this 600-page book was written over a period of 35 years by Marlantes, who’s a Yale grad, Rhodes Scholar and a decorated Marine.

7. Blood’s a Rover by James Ellroy: Published in September 2009, this 656-page book is the final volume of Ellroy’s Underworld USA Trilogy.

8. Swamplandia! By Karen Russell: This 336-page book won’t be released until Feb. 1, 2011.

9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett: Released in February 2009, this book was Stockett’s debut novel.

10. City of Thieves by David Benioff: Published in 2008, this 272-page book is the second novel by Benioff, who wrote the screenplays for the movies, “X-Men” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

In the end, how many of you have had a chance to read any of these books? What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

“Lady Warriors 61, Monroe 45: Ava Pate and Ashton Garner led the scoring for this game with 13 points respectively. Also scoring in the double digits were Ginger May with 12 points and Cody Godwin with 11 points. Rounding out the score were Samantha Seaman with five points, Jessica Armuelles and Lacy Vargas with three points each and Tabitha Gafford with one point.”

“Christmas Basketball Game: The Class of 1970 will sponsor a Christmas Basketball game Mon., Dec. 16, at 6 p.m. at the Evergreen High School gym. Admission is $2. Games will include Evergreen Allstars vs. Andalusia Allstars and Johnsonville Allstars vs. Mississippi Rangers.”

37 YEARS AGODEC. 20, 1973

“Gerry Watson is named all-stater: Gerry Watson, outstanding linebacker for the Repton High School Bulldogs, was recently named on The Birmingham News’ All-State Football Team as a member of the second team, Class 2A.

“Gerry, a senior, had an amazing record this season. He was in on 182 tackles in 10 games including 131 individual stops and 51 assists, averaging 13.1 individual and 5.1 assists per game. In addition, he blocked eight punts and caused five fumbles, two of which he recovered himself.

“Gerry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Watson of Bermuda, is a good student and one of the most popular students at Repton High.”

67 YEARS AGODEC. 16, 1943

“Aggies collide with Castleberry There Friday: The Evergreen Aggies will take the lid off the cage season Friday night when they tangle with the Castleberry Panthers in Castleberry.

“To the many supporters of basketball here, this will be a glad occasion. The Aggies, who have furnished delight to the patrons for some four or five seasons and become well known in the state’s cage circles, never fail to play a good game no matter who their opposition is.

“Last year’s edition under the capable hands of E.L. McInnis, piled up a formidable record and were favored in the district tourney before falling under the hands of a highly regarded Fairhope quintet. Gone from last season’s powerful combine are Hanks and Thames, stellar point gathering forwards, who are now cadets in the Army Air Corps; Johnson, the bright light in the offensive parade who held down center and is now in the center of things with the Navy; and Barron and Farrell, dependable ball hawks at the guard positions. Barron is enlisted in the Maritime Service and expects to leave soon. Farrell is going to school in Mobile. Of those shock troopers, the reserves, only three are left, Hart, Huey and Stinson. Daniels and Tharp are also with their Uncle Sam’s flying forces.”

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “TRON: Legacy,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “The Town.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education recently announced the winners of this year’s National Outdoor Book Awards.

A total of 18 books were named either winners or honorable mentions in nine categories, including Nature and the Environment, Natural History Literature, Outdoor Literature, History-Biography, Classic, Children Books, Design and Artistic Merit, Nature Guidebooks, Outdoor Adventure Guidebooks and Instructional.

Winners of the National Outdoor Book Awards over the years have represented some of the absolute best in outdoor writing, artwork and photography. If you enjoy reading about the outdoors, you probably will not be disappointed by any of the books on this list.

Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2010 National Outdoor Book Awards:

Nature and the Environment – “Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari With a Cast of Trillions” by Mark W. Moffett

Monday, December 13, 2010

Just the other day, I got the chance to watch “The Dry Land,” which was released in theatres in July. To be honest, this movie was OK, but not great.

Written and directed by Ryan Piers Williams, this movie is about an Iraq war veteran in his early thirties who returns to his small town Texas home after a rough tour of duty overseas. Despite a close circle of family and friends, this veteran, James, has a hard time adapting to life back in the states.

This movie was not without some merit, but its biggest fault is that it was highly predictable. On the upside, I thought that it did a good job of touching on a number of problems that some returning veterans have to deal with. It did a fair job of demonstrating the disconnect between people who have spent time overseas and those who have not.

Some of you may be familiar with a few of the actors in this movie. Ryan O’Nan, a relative unknown, played the lead role of James, but other more well known actors in the film included America Ferrera, Jason Ritter, Ethan Suplee and Wilmer Valderrama.

My favorite actor in the movie was Valderrama, who plays Raymond Gonzales. (Many of you will remember Valderrama as “Fez” from “That 70s Show.”) Gonzales was a soldier in James’ unit, and the two survived an RPG attack in Iraq. Like James, Gonzales is having his own problems adjusting to life back at home, but he seems to be dealing with it in his own good-natured way. The two set off on a road trip to see a severly wounded friend, and, to me, this is the best part of the movie.

Was this movie worth watching? Yes. Is it going to blow your socks off? No. The movie had a very low budget feel to it, and you kind of get the impression that it was intentionally shot that way. I guess the idea was to make it all appear more like real life, but in the end, it fell short of the mark. They went for gritty reality, but it was a lame attempt.

I think this movie would have been better if it had it included some flashback scenes from the characters’ time in Iraq. Instead, you’re left imagining what happened to them, and some action scenes from Iraq would have spiced this movie up a lot. In fact, the low budget, bare bones style of filming might have been more well-suited to these types of scenes.

Of course, it could be just me and this movie may go on to win all kinds of awards. If so, I’ll admit that I was way off on this one, but I’ll be shocked if it does anything at the Academy Awards.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got three new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

“Port Mortuary” by Patricia Cornwell replaced “Cross Fire” by James Patterson as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-seller list.

"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown replaced “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson as the top book on the mass market paperback best-seller list.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson replaced “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo as the No. 1 book on the trade paperbacks best-seller list.

“Decision Points” by George W. Bush retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.

There are two books on this week’s hardcover fiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books (and their positions on this week’s list) include “Port Mortuary” by Patricia Cornwell (1) and "Rescue: A Novel" by Anita Shreve (15).

There are two books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best seller list that weren’t on that list last week. Those books are "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern (14) and "Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose" by Tony Hsieh (15).

There are seven books on this week’s mass market paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books are "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton (3), "Hungry For You: An Argeneau Novel" by Lynsay Sands (5), "The Other Side" by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney and Ruth Ryan Langan (7), "Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood" by J.R. Ward (8), "Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo (9), "Rainwater" by Sandra Brown (11) and "Devoured by Darkness" by Alexandra Ivy (15).

There was one book on this week’s trade paperbacks list that wasn’t on that list last week - "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel" by Helen Simonson, which was No. 15 on this week’s list.

Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists. As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. They are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Port Mortuary" by Patricia Cornwell2. "The Confession" by John Grisham3. "Cross Fire" by James Patterson4. "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King5. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson6. "Hell's Corner" by David Baldacci7. "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett8. "Crescent Dawn" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler9. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks10. "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" by David Sedaris11. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett12. "Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson13. "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin14. "The Emperor's Tomb" by Steve Berry15. "Rescue: A Novel" by Anita Shreve

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "Decision Points" by George W. Bush2. "Autobiography of Mark Twain" by Ed. by Harriet Elinor Smith3. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand4. "Life" by Keith Richards5. "America by Heart" by Sarah Palin6. "Decoded" by Jay-Z7. "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" by Ina Garten8. "Broke" by Glenn Beck9. "Earth (The Book)" by Jon Stewart10. "I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections" by Nora Ephron11. "Kardashian Konfidential" by Kourtney, Kim, Khloe Kardashian12. "Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff13. "Colonel Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris14. "Sh t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern15. "Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose" by Tony Hsieh

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown2. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson3. "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton4. "Breathless" by Dean Koontz5. "Hungry For You: An Argeneau Novel" by Lynsay Sands6. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson7. "The Other Side" by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney and Ruth Ryan Langan8. "Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood" by J.R. Ward9. "Ales Cross's Trial" by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo10. "O'Hurley's Return" by Nora Roberts11. "Rainwater" by Sandra Brown12. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson13. "The Sooner the Better" by Debbie Macomber14. "McKettrick's Choice" by Linda Lael Miller15. "Devoured by Darkness" by Alexandra Ivy

TRADE PAPERBACKS1. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson2. "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horwitz3. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson4. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert5. "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult6. "Happy Ever After" by Nora Roberts7. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein8. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese9. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave10. "The Book of Awakening" by Mark Nepo11. "Rachel Ray's Look + Cook" by Rachel Ray12. "Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel" by Jeannette Walls13. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay14. "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson15. "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel" by Helen Simonson

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

I made further progress the other day in my quest to watch, in order, all of the movies that have won an Academy Award for Best Picture when I rewatched the 2005 winner, “Crash.”

Many of you will remember this outstanding movie, which was directed by Paul Haggis and featured a cast of well known actors. The cast included Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard and Michael Pena.

At its core, this movie is about racial and social stereotypes, prejudice and tension in Los Angeles. Written by Haggis, the story covers two days in the city and shows how the lives of a black police detective, the white district attorney, a black director, a Middle Eastern merchant, a Hispanic locksmith and others are interconnected and have a direct impact on each other (without them necessarily being aware of it). It’s been said that Haggis was inspired to write the screen play for his movie after he was carjacked in 1991, and a carjacking serves as a major plot point in “Crash.”

In addition to Best Picture, “Crash” also won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. According to the Internet Movie Database, “Crash” was the first Best Picture winner since 1976’s “Rocky” to win only three Oscars. Most Best Picture winners usually take home four or more.

By Hollywood standards, “Crash” was a very low budget movie. It was shot in just 36 days under a budget of $6.5 million. Haggis shot many of the scenes in his own house, used his own car in several scenes and even used his nextdoor neighbor in a non-speaking part.

When all was said and done, the movie went on to post gross revenues of $98.4 million. This may sound like a lot of money, but for a Best Picture winner it’s on the low end. In fact, “Crash” was the lowest grossing Best Picture winner since 1987’s “The Last Emperor.”

“Crash” beat out a number of outstanding nominees for the Best Picture award in 2005, including “Brokeback Mountain,” “Capote,” “Good Night and Good Luck” and “Munich.”

In the end, I really enjoyed rewatching “Crash.” How many of you have seen this movie? What did you like about it? What did you dislike about it? Let us know in the comments section below.

From here, it’s on to the 2004 winner, “Million Dollar Baby.” Directed by Clint Eastwood, this boxing movie starred Eastwood, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman. I’m looking forward to seeing this movie because, for whatever reason, I’ve never seen it before.

Friday, December 10, 2010

A few days ago – for the first time – I got the chance to sample a bottle of Moosehead Lager and was more than a little pleased by this tasty beer, which won a gold award at the 2003 World Beer Cup.

Moosehead Lager comes in a green bottle and is stamped on one side with the word “Moosehead” and with “Quality and Tradition” on the other side. According to the label, this beer is brewed and bottled by Moosehead Breweries in Saint John New Brunswick, Canada. This brewery, founded in 1867, claims to be Canada’s oldest independent brewery.

There are a number of interesting bits of trivia about this beer. Its popularity fell during the 1980s, but it experienced resurgence when actor Michael J. Fox, a native of Canada, plugged Moosehead in his autobiography, “Lucky Man.” In the book, Fox tells about how he told Tonight Show host Jay Leno the he didn’t like beers brewed in America because they were too watered down. He went on to say that he preferred Moosehead Ale. (A short time later, Moosehead delivered a huge truckload of Moosehead Ale to Fox’s house as a gift.)

Moosehead beer is also somewhat famous (or infamous) for having two truckloads go missing in recent years. A truck loaded with 60,000 cans of Moosehead bound for Mexico disappeared in August 2004. Most of the beer was recovered, and the search for the missing beer, which featured distinctive Spanish-language labels, was the subject of a book, "Beer Bandit Caper: The Mounties, Their Man and Mexico's Missing Moosehead" by Harvey Sawler.

In September 2007, two trailers containing 77,000 cans and 44,000 bottles of Moosehead (valued at $200,000) also went missing. An arrest was made in the case, but most of the beer was not recovered with police believing that most of it had been sold illegally to bars.

I was interested to learn that Moosehead Lager is just one of many beers produced by the Moosehead Brewery. Other beers produced by this brewery include Alpine Lager, Alpine Light, Alpine Max, Alpine Summit, Clancy’s Amber Ale, Cold Filtered Moosehead Light, Cracked Canoe, Moosehead Light, Moosehead Pale Ale, Moosehead Premium Dry and Moosehead Dry Ice.

In the end, I really enjoyed this beer. How many of you out there in the reading audience has had a chance to sample this fine belly-washer? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about Moosehead Lager and the other beers mentioned above, visit the brewery’s Web site at www.moosehead.ca.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

One of my favorite subjects to write about is what was going on in Conecuh County 100 years ago, but for well over a year, I’ve gotten out of my monthly habit of going to the library to research the events that were taking place here a century ago.

A few readers have mentioned that they’ve missed reading this feature, so starting this week, I’m going to try to get back in the swing of things. (As far as I can tell, I haven’t written one of these types of columns since July 2009.) Look for these columns once a month.

Without further ado, here’s what was happening in Conecuh County way back in December 1910.

In the Dec. 1, 1910 edition of The Conecuh Record newspaper, publisher and editor J.C. Whitcomb reported that “the Conecuh County Medical Society met in Evergreen Wednesday. An account of the proceedings will be given next week.”

Readers that week also learned that “Will Stallworth was killed at the warehouse crossing by a passing train last Saturday night at about nine o’clock. He is said to have been under the influence of liquor at the time.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “Manuel Rankin, living a short distance from Evergreen, was murdered Sunday last by Brit Nelson. The murder is said to have been unprovoked. One hundred dollars reward is offered for the capture of Nelson.”

The paper that week also included an item that said that “Kell Fowler, representative of the American Bakeries Co. of Birmingham, was in the city for several days this week. Kell is one of Evergreen’s popular young men.”

Whitcomb also let readers know that week that “a heavy rain and cold snap struck Evergreen last Sunday night and the cold weather still continues with the thermometer in the thirties.”

In the Dec. 8, 1909 edition of The Record, readers learned that “Will Raines of near Finklea was killed Sunday morning about 11 o’clock by Melt Booker, who filled Raines with bullets from a small rifle. The killing occurred in the public road and as there were no eye witnesses the cause of the shooting is unknown.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “G.H. Chapman attended the session of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Montgomery this week.”

Under the headline, “An Entertainment,” readers learned that “The Orpheus Club will give a musical entertainment at the court house on next Monday night at 8:30 o’clock. Miss Marks, the talented violinist will be the attraction. She will be assisted by Miss Morgan of Judson. Miss Marks was warmly welcomed here last season, and we bespeak for her the same welcome this year.”

Conecuh County was beginning to get in the Christmas spirit during this week as Whitcomb reported that “Christmas shoppers are busy and our merchants are all doing a good business. T.A. Gantt has a large display of toys and everything that will please a child.”

In news from the Finklea community, correspondent “Brer Rabbit” reported that “We had a 200-pound porker blow into our smoke house and many of our neighbors have had the same luck.”

In the Dec. 15, 1910 edition of The Record, Whitcomb updated readers on the state of Christmas affairs.

“Some Christmas shopping is being done here, but, as usual, most of the people will wait until the last minute to buy their presents.”

Readers also learned that week that “an appeal is being made for all Sunday Schools to contribute as much as possible on Christmas day to assist in paying off the debt of the Orphanage. The officers are in hope that it can be done.”

Under the headline of “A Barbecue,” subscribers learned that “a barbecue was held at Uncle Bill Ellis’ gin last Thursday. Uncle Bill was on hand and superintended the barbecuing of the squirrels and lambs, which was done to perfection. The day was chilly and the crowd was not as large as usual on these occasions, but those who were present enjoyed the day.”

Whitcomb also reported that “the University of Alabama Glee Club will include Evergreen in its next tour. An excellent program is assured for this year, and this city is likely to show marked appreciation of the same on the night of Dec. 29.”

In the Dec. 22, 1910 edition of The Record, Whitcomb made the following appeal to subscribers.

“As this is the last issue before Christmas, we take this occasion to wish our friends the compliments of the season and to thank them for their patronage. During the year 1911, we shall endeavor to make The Record an up to date, newsy paper. To do this, we must have money and all delinquent subscribers are requested to send in their money at the earliest possible moment. By doing so, they will greatly assist us in our work.”

Readers that week also learned that “Evergreen and Conecuh County are said to be in the prohibition ranks, but there is enough whiskey coming in here this week to float a battleship.”

Whitcomb also reported this week that “James Smith, son of Ben Smith, was shot and killed at Georgiana last Sunday. The remains were brought here Monday and taken to near China for interment.”

Whitcomb wrapped up the week with a somber news item about a subject that would eventually have a major impact on the state.

“Last week, Mr. Lum Dean brought in a boll weevil, which was found on his place. The specimen was sent to Montgomery for expert opinion and was declared to be the genuine article. It was known that the bug was in this vicinity but it was not known to be in the county. Now it is here, our former friends will be compelled to switch on to some other crop for a living.”

In the Dec. 29, 1910 edition of The Record, readers learned that “J.H. Northcutt, one of Conecuh County’s oldest citizens, died Tuesday of his home here in Evergreen. The funeral service was held Wednesday and interment was made at Chappelle. The Record will give a sketch of his life next week.”

That week’s paper also included the following advertisement.

“We want a good hustler to represent us in Evergreen and get up a club of 10 homeseekers or investors. Big commissions to the right man. Write at once: Capital City Investment Co., Guthrie, Okla.”

Under the headline, “Cotton Gin Burns,” subscribers saw the following story.“Castleberry – The cotton ginnery of P.M. Skinner of this place burned. The loss was total. The outfit was valued at $3,000 with $1,500 insurance.”

News out of Andalusia said that “Telegrams have been received in Andalusia stating that C.C. O’Neal has been appointed postmaster at this place by the President.”

Readers that week also learned that “the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Peoples Bank of Evergreen will be held at its banking rooms on Tues., Jan. 10, 1911 at 10 o’clock a.m. for the election of a board of directors and for the transaction of any other business that may properly come before the meeting. A. Cunningham, Vice President.”

Well, I guess that’s all that space will allow for this month. Next month, I plan to take a look at the events of January 1911 in Conecuh County. Until then, if you get the urge to research the county’s past yourself, take advantage of the Evergreen-Conecuh County Public Library’s excellent selection of old newspapers on microfilm and other resources. The library’s friendly and courteous staff will be more than happy to get you started.